The QuantiTect Whole Transcriptome Kit enables the preamplification and reverse transcription of limited amounts of RNA to high yields of cDNA for unlimited gene expression analysis using real-time PCR. An optimized protocol ensures a fast and easy procedure. The kit consists of a complete set of enzymes and buffers for whole transcriptome amplification (WTA). Innovative modification of Phi 29 polymerase technology allows yields of up to 40 μg cDNA from as little as 1 ng RNA. The uniquely high processivity of this polymerase guarantees the generation of cDNA containing uniformly amplified targets to ensure reliable gene expression analysis in real-time PCR.

The QuantiTect Whole Transcriptome Kit is intended for molecular biology applications. This product is not intended for the diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of a disease.

Reproducible cDNA yields.

Total RNA (10 ng) from different blood samples was amplified for 2 or 8 hours using the QuantiTect Whole Transcriptome Kit. cDNA yields were determined using PicoGreen reagent.

Equal amplification of 5' and 3' regions.

Total RNA (1 ng) was amplified using the QuantiTect Whole Transcriptome Kit. This was followed by real-time PCR using 10 ng cDNA, primers specific for β-actin, and the QuantiTect SYBR® Green PCR Kit. Amplicons corresponding to the 5' and 3' regions of the β-actin transcript were detected with similar CT values, indicating that the QuantiTect Whole Transcriptome Kit provided equal amplification of all transcript regions.

cDNA is first synthesized from template RNA and then ligated (not shown). REPLI-g DNA polymerase moves along the cDNA template strand displacing the complementary strand. The displaced strand becomes a template for replication, allowing high yields of cDNA to be generated.

The QuantiTect Whole Transcriptome Kit provides highly uniform amplification of all transcripts, which is essential for reliable gene expression analysis. All mRNA transcripts are amplified with equal representation at both 5' and 3' regions (see figure "Equal amplification of 5' and 3' regions"). Preservation of the transcript profile is demonstrated in the figure "Preservation of transcript profile", where WTA-amplified cDNA prepared using the QuantiTect Whole Transcriptome Kit is compared with nonamplified cDNA prepared using a reverse transcriptase.

High and reproducible cDNA yields of up to 40 μg can be achieved (see figure "Reproducible cDNA yields"). This allows unlimited real-time PCR analysis with highly reproducible CT values (see table and figure "Reliable real-time PCR analysis"). In addition, since cDNA is more stable than RNA, it can be safely archived for future studies.

High yields of cDNA for real-time PCR analysis

Starting material

Amplification time

Typical yield of amplified product

Number of real-time PCR analyses*

10 ng RNA

2 hours

Up to 10 µg cDNA

1000

10 ng RNA

8 hours

Up to 40 µg cDNA

4000

* Number of real-time PCR analyses possible using cDNA from a single QuantiTect whole transcriptome amplification (WTA) reaction. Without WTA, only 1 reliable real-time RT-PCR analysis is possible from 10 ng RNA.

Principle

Gene expression profiling can be limited by the small amount of biological sample available. By using the QuantiTect Whole Transcriptome Kit, unlimited real-time PCR analyses of small and precious samples are possible. The QuantiTect Whole Transcriptome Kit is optimized for whole transcriptome amplification from as little as 1 ng RNA, or RNA corresponding to about 50 cells. Even lower amounts of RNA can be used, depending on the quality of the RNA and the abundance of the transcript of interest.

Unlimited cDNA representing the entire transcriptome is prepared from total RNA in a simple 3-step protocol (see flowchart "Procedure"). RNA is first reverse transcribed into cDNA using an optimized reverse transcription mix containing T-Script Enzyme with random and oligo-dT primers. The synthesized cDNA is ligated using a high-efficiency ligation mix, and then amplified using an amplification mix based on proven REPLI-g technology.

Applications

cDNA prepared using the QuantiTect Whole Transcriptome Kit is intended for use in real-time PCR analysis with QuantiFast or Rotor-Gene Kits and can be archived for future analysis. The cDNA is not suitable for use in microarray analysis. For whole genome amplification from small or precious samples, QIAGEN offers REPLI-g kits and REPLI-g Service. Amplification is highly uniform with minimal sequence bias, providing DNA suitable for applications such as genotyping and Comparative Genome Hybridization (CGH).

Features

Specifications

Amplification

Whole total RNA

Applications

Real-time PCR, gene expression analysis

Maximum input volume

5 µl total RNA

Minimal pipetting volume needed

1 µl

Reaction time

5 hours or 11 hours

Reaction volume

50 µl

Samples per run (throughput)

Mid

Starting amount of total RNA

>10 ng purified total RNA

Starting material

Purified total RNA

Technology

Reverse transcription followed by ligation and multiple displacement amplification (MDA)